Imprint
by Furyan Goddess
Summary: After five years has past, Jake has all but given up hope of imprinting. When it happens, it shocks him and his perspective mate. How will he be able to explain all of this to her w/o scaring her and sending her running for the hills? Jake/OFC
1. Chapter 1

Author: Furyan Goddess  
Title: Imprint  
**Fandom: Twilight/AU 5 years after Breaking Dawn. Renesme was never born, thus Jacob never imprinted on her.**  
**Warning: language and strong sexual situations. Talk of Vampirism, blood drinking, werewolves, death, verbal abuse.**  
**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Twilight Saga. It is written by Stephenie Meyer and I make no money by the use of characters from it. I do this for my amusement only, ok, well maybe Bitten's too:D. **  
**Rating: NC-17**  
Pairing: Jacob Black and OFC~ Danni Greene  
Feedback: yes please, this is my first Twilight fic  
**Author's note: All this vampire stuff has inspired me. Hope you enjoy. I've altered a few things in my story. Like the sheer size of Jacob, I've taken about six inches off of him, making him 6'6". I'm also thinking 108 is a little hot, so while It's not specific as to the temp, he won't burn you when you touch him. Human skin reddens at 120*. 108 is very uncomfortable.**

* This is written mostly from Danni's POV, but there are parts that are Jacob's POV. It will switch. **Jake will be in bold.** Danni, normal.

**Thank you to MrsTrentReznor and Bitten for all the help and support. I couldn't have done it w/o you two.

***Please read warnings, author's notes and disclaimer. If it is something that wouldn't interest you, don't bother reading it please.

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**Jacob**

**It took some time, but slowly, I got over her. Mostly. A lot of miles and years passed and with each one, I healed a little more before I realized that Bella was just not meant for me. **

**Not that I had much choice in the matter, after Edward turned her. A vampire and a werewolf would not be able to co-exist. I loved Bella, but everything about her that I wanted and dreamed about, died with her that day. **

**After that, I got pretty dark, violent even. Nothing really mattered much to me but killing vampires, ****every**** damn one I could find. I did my job and I did it well. **

**Days and nights were blurred, sometimes weeks would pass before I saw another member of the pack. **

**I swear they were beginning to think I'd gone rogue. Maybe I did, for a while. When nothing made sense and the only time I didn't bleed for Bella was when I was killing. Jacob Black was lost and the thing that replaced him was just shy of a monster. Who knows, maybe I was a monster, but I'm a little more sane now. I can live day to day knowing there is a chance of seeing her. Of seeing them together. **

**She loves him and if there was or is any part of me that still loves her, I had to let go. You can't force someone to love you. Took a long time to realize that and we both deserved better. I loved ****her with everything I had at the time, but someone, the Great Spirit or the Powers That Be, did not approve. I never imprinted on her and now, with distance and time, I realize the simplicity of that. She was never meant to be mine. Didn't make it hurt any less though.**

**The vampire population is down around these parts but I take the form of a wolf more times than not. It's there I find my solace. I've learned how to wall in my thoughts and now I can shift without anyone reading me if that's what I desire.**

**I sleep and run as a wolf. Hunt as one. I eat raw game and it does not pass my notice that in the process of eating, I consume blood. Perhaps wolves and vampires are closer than I once thought. The idea disturbs me.**

**I don't age, haven't changed in years. I had gotten slightly larger, filled out just a hair more, but I looked the same in the face. I **_**almost**_** looked my age. Inside, I felt like a hundred. A few short years ago, I was happy all the time, life was great, now. Life is.**

**I'd given up the dream that was Bella, but now I wish I could find someone, anyone to help fill the void; but who would want a dog? Maybe something wasn't right inside of me? I didn't know. The whole pack has imprinted, but not me. Maybe I wasn't meant to?**

**I have little to offer a woman, a wife, it was not possible to go to college while you hunt and kill vampires. Hard to hold down a job too. The village pitches in and supports the pack but I feel guilty for taking away from them. Some have even less than I d****o. A****t least I can stay warm. So, I hunt my own prey and I sleep out in the woods most nights. That way, my ration can go to someone else. Someone that needs it more than me.**

**I see her from time to time over the years when Edward wasn't around. Sometimes I can even pretend that I wasn't still not bruised. The lingering affection is what's killing me; I just want to be free of her. Is that too much to ask? Is it part of my curse, love thy enemy? I have yet to purge all traces of her from me. As much as I try, a small part of me holds on to her. I know I can't have her. Ever! Why does she still haunt me?**

**Love?**

**Looking back, I can't even be sure that's what it was. More like obsession. I needed to prove to me, to the world, that I was better than a bloodsucker. In the end, I failed. Apparently, life goes on. I'm ready to move on.**

**Sam is married now; everyone else has imprinted but me? What do I have, Nada. Another good reason to wall off from the pack, jealousy isn't pretty on anyone. We're a group, we have sworn to have each others back. Thick and thin, blood death and love. Hating on someone because they're happy is just wrong and petty. I'm happy for all of them, but it still stings. **

**I don't want to be petty. I want to be a good man or at least a better one than I have in the last five years. **

**I was getting older; time to grow up, buck up and shut the fuck up. No more Bella talk, no more moping ****for**** what never came to be. **

**I was moving on. Bella has a life now, a husband and family. It was my turn. **

**Still, imprinting is tricky and for some reason, it has never happened to me. I was the last of the pack. Maybe it has something to do with my own willingness. Maybe my obsession over some certain dark ****haired**** vixen kept me alone? Who knows. Maybe I just needed to grow up? **

**It could happen tomorrow or next year, I just hope I have the strength to hold on ****until**** then. **

**The elders said that it was my destiny to lead the pack, to be alpha, not Sam. He was more stable and has a woman. Should I take that from him because it was my right? He was doing a good job of it, his orders are fair. What would make anyone think I'd be better suited for the job? **

**No, until I got my head on straight, I would maintain my place. If and when I decide to step up, I just can't see Sam stepping aside with a shrug and a smile. **

**Life was so much easier when I was just a boy ****from**** the rez. Before the bloodsuckers moved back and changed my life forever. **

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Danni

My mom died when I was young and my father was an alcoholic. We survied, barely, sometimes skipping breakfast so we could have cereal for dinner that night. Life sucked and in my desperate need to escape, I ended up marrying a man a lot like him. A man that was too old for me by ten years and had only a little more than we did growing up.

He died three years later, blunt force trauma they called it. I say he got his brains bashed in over a game of electric poker down at the local bar. I couldn't find it in me to really mourn his loss; I was relieved. I was free. What kind of wife was I? My husband might have been a loser and a drunk, but he never hurt me. He gave me what he could and he loved me in his own way.

I missed him; I could see that now looking back. I missed having another person around me, the feeling of security that provided. Tim had been a pretty big dude, a little more belly than muscle but people knew not to mess with him. I think that might have been what drew me to him in the first place. He could protect me from my father, even if it was as simple as not allowing his words to hurt me anymore.

I was left with a broken down trailer worth hardly more than a grand. Two busted down cars and a leather arm chair. I sold it, sold it all, and bought an old conversion van.

It was ugly and handled like a bitch, but I could pull over and sleep any time I needed or wanted too. Even had a little hot plate to heat up soup. Yep, I was living the good life, well better than I had been.

I even gained a little bit of weight, but not much. I'd always been sickly thin, lack of proper food would do that to you. I also took after my dad, who was lucky if he pushed a buck twenty-five wet. But he was a mean bastard and when my husband died, he laughed and said, "You think you're gonna come crawlin' back home, Little Missy?"

He always called me Little Missy and I hated it. It wasn't my name and it wasn't an endearment. The way he sneered it, he meant it as an insult.

I promptly informed him that I'd rather starve to death in the middle of nowhere than set foot in his house again and lit out of town.

I've been on the road since, driving. Surviving. Never living.

Life was hard and it was brutal and I was so damn tried of it all. Tired of the running and tired of being alone. I wanted a place to fit in, someone to call family. A place to call home.

Forks was cold and wet and painfully green. Trees and grass and endless rain. There was mud, but the ground cover was so lush, it was more of a non issue. The rain made the cooler air seep deep until it become almost numbing at times. It really wasn't that fantastic of a spot to settle. No sun to shake off the doldrums. No real changes to look forward to in the weekly forecast, just more of the same and the same was always rain.

How did I end up here? Maybe because there was no where left to go but Canada. I ran out of road. Nothing any farther west but the ocean and at some point, it just turned back into east. I was done with the east. Coast to coast, a new place, perhaps I would finally find what I was looking for but I wasn't holding out hope. All I knew was, I was looking for something different than what I had.

I rolled into town on a Monday night and was shocked to find almost everything had been closed down. Small town, early shutdown. Nothing and no one. I rented a room for the night even though it was just past six and funds were low. I just wanted a real bed and a shower. If I planned on finding a job, I'd have to get a good night's rest.

As I walked across the pebbled parking lot, I looked around. The only people on the streets were teenagers or younger adults. Where was everyone else? Was the town so dull that there was no life after dark? Was it unsafe? No, it couldn't be that, how much crime could they have in a place like this?

Besides, where I came from, the trailer park I grew up in was guaranteed to have more drugs and more crime than Forks. Pushing all thoughts aside of my past life, I showered and promptly passed out.

Dawn broke as a gray band of light in my room and I groaned. Time to get up and face the day. Time to finally start over.

I washed my face and brushed my short brown hair and sighed. I should grow it out, maybe? Would it make me appear younger? Did I need to look older? Was that a line around my eye? Twenty one years old and it felt like a hundred. How old did I really look? Maybe the rain and lack of sunlight would be good for my skin, maybe it'll help wash away the hard years?

I put on jeans and a long sleeve black t shirt. It was the best I had, and it was also the only thing left clean.

I decided to walk and get a feel for the town. I looked at the businesses lining the road. A huge sporting goods store, a cafe' and other little places sprinkled around in-between converted houses to businesses. Dentist, well, that's out, I think I had been to the dentist once in my life. Luckily I had been blessed with strong teeth but lack of cavities didn't make you a dental assistant. An insurance agency, again, I knew nothing about that. Living poor like I had, we never could afford it.

I stopped in the middle of the side walk and my heart sank. I realized that I had nothing to offer, no previous job experience. Nothing. What was I going to do? How was I going to work, make a living and support myself?

All I wanted to do was crawl in a hole and hide. Deny and avoid.

People walked passed me, some gave me strange looks, other's pulled their kids to the opposite side, away from me. I wanted to laugh, but I was afraid it would come out as a sob. I noticed a bench twenty feet away and sat down with a tired groan.

Life passed by slowly as I sat there and watched. The stranger looking in, longing to be a part of it all, but always separate and alone. The story of my life.

I heard a voice and turned to look up to find a man speaking to me. He was beautiful, in an eternal way. Bronze hair and eyes, pale skin and perfect teeth and clothes.

"Hello," he said softly, "I'm Edward Cullen."

I smiled softly up at him, "Danni Greene."

His smile went larger and he nodded, "It's nice to meet you, Danni Greene. You are new in town, yes?"

I snorted, "Yeah. I'm new alright."

"And you need a job?"

"Is it that obvious?" I asked, trying desperately not to look too pathetic. I didn't want to embarrass myself anymore.

He gave me an odd look and said, "Maybe I can read your mind."

I laughed and played along. "Really and what else to you see in there?"

"That you've got nowhere left to go and you're tired of running."

My breath caught and my eyes went huge. He laughed, a musical, alluring sound and I blinked at him.

"I'm just teasing. You are in Forks, there _is _no where left to go."

I took a breath, "And the running part?"

"Why else would a lone woman move to Forks if she was not hiding away from something?"

It was my turn to laugh, but it was still a nervous giggle. There was something about Edward Cullen that wasn't quite right. Why would he of all people walking past, stop to talk to me?

"Well, I could help you with the job part. My wife and sister own a clothing boutique two blocks down."

"Your wife?" I shook my head, "You don't look old enough to be married." I married at eighteen. Way too young. I hoped Edward Cullen and his bride have better luck at it.

Edward smiled that secret smile again, "I am older than I look."

I looked at him and could see it, in his eyes. It always shows in the eyes. "Thanks for the offer, Edward, but," I shrugged, "I don't know anything about clothing. In fact, I don't think I know anything about, well, anything."

He stood quickly, shoved both hands in his pockets and waited for me to stand. "You can learn, can you not Danni? You are a smart girl, a survivor? It is time to start living."

What could I say to that? It was oddly creepy and while I wanted to be totally freaked out and run the other way, I found myself standing up, giving him a weak smile and a nod. I followed him down the street in silence toward his wife's store.


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning: Language. AU. Jacob/OFC**

**Thanks to Bitten and MrsTrentRezner for beta and input**

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**Chapter 2  
Danni**

The boutique was so cute and fluffy that I want to cry. Not tears of joy either. Everything was so, girly. Alice's doing I was sure. Bella made it clear on how she felt about the flouncy frilly stuff, but Alice loved it. And for some reason it sold in a town where I had to wonder why would anyone want to wear ruffles. It was cold and rainy and so un-spring like. But, what do I know? I was just happy to have a job.

I knew that it was a sympathy job, but I'd take it for now. It was all I had. Pay was pretty good considering the cost of the merchandise and how little of it we sold. I had a good feeling that the Cullens weren't hurting for money and did this more as a hobby than anything. Alice seemed to love to dress people up like a barbie doll or something.

There was another sister, Rosalie, and she handled the small make up department. She was breathtakingly beautiful and I felt like an ugly cow anytime she was near. She was cool and aloof and tended to keep to herself, which was more than fine with me.

Most of my first pay went to first and last month's rent on a small cabin in the woods I found and clothes. If I planned on selling the clothes, I had to wear the clothes, or that was what Alice insisted. I think it just made her feel good to pretty someone up. With the discount she had given me, I knew she had to be losing money on the items, but she insisted and when Alice insisted, there is nothing going to change her mind. I think she was the sweetest and most stubborn person I'd ever met.

Bella, Edward's wife, was nice. I liked her, but she was so in love with Edward it was hard to get her attention if he was around. He popped in a few times a day just so they can make moon eyes at each other. Alice would send me a look and we would giggle like schoolgirls. I know they heard us but just didn't give a damn. Why would they when they had each other.

Truth be told, it was kinda hard not to hate them for it. To love so fiercely and have that same love returned, well, what girl hasn't dreamed of that? Until now, I always thought it was fantasy, now I think maybe it really does exist. All of the Cullen's are like that. Everyone is so in love and me, once again, the odd man out.

I could see Alice's brain working, thinking about who she could set me up with. I was not ready, not yet. I haven't told them where I came from, what I'd lived through and they hadn't asked. Maybe they never would, maybe they suspected, who knows. Still, I wasn't looking to get involved with anyone and the gorgeous men that they surround themselves with would never look my way anyway, not after they learned what I came from.

I'd never seen such beautiful and perfect looking humans in my life like the Cullen family. If they hadn't been so kind to me, I'd hate them all! I thought I still might, a little.

Shaking my head as the bell over the door jingled I watched as Edward and Bella stiffened. Actually, everyone but me stiffened. I looked at the new customer and wondered why. He was a nice looking man, clearly a native. He and Edward exchanged an almost hate-filled look and then politely ignored each other.

The man swung his head back and forth, taking in the scene and then his eyes locked on mine. He walked toward me, almost stalked, and smiled. He gave Alice a small nod and the spoke to me, "I'm looking for something nice for my woman. Do you think you can help me? Her birthday is coming up and I'd like to surprise her."

I smiled thinking of how sweet that was, "Sure. Anything in particular you're looking for, sir?"

"Sam, call me Sam. Ummm, something," he looked again and lowered his voice, "pink and pretty? She looks good in pink."

If she had his skin tone, I could only imagine. "I think I have just the thing."

I lead him over to a stack of sweaters in the back. There was this shell pink one that would look fantastic against bronze skin. It was the softest, most delicate thing I'd ever felt and when I handed it over to him, he closed his eyes and smiled.

"It's perfect." He held it up and grinned, "Even the right size, you're good."

I laughed and shook my head no. For a moment, I felt young and innocent again and it felt wonderful. "Do you need anything to go with it, earrings?"

"Nahh, she makes her own jewelry, just the sweater."

I rang him up and told him the total and watched as his hands shook slightly as he counted out the money. I could tell it was all he had. Probably been saving up for a long time and that touched me deeply. I wish I could have given him a discount, but everyone's eyes were on me. I gave him his change, only 2.85 and put the sweater in a box and tied a bow around it.

"I think she'll love it, Sam, and I know it'll mean the world to her." I didn't want to say any more and embarrass him, but I felt the need to convey my understanding. When you were surrounded by money, but scraping by, all you had left was pride. He met my eyes and nodded.

"You should come out to the Rez some day and meet my Emily. I think you two would make fast friends."

More than pleased at the offer, I agreed and gave him a small wave as he left.

There was a collective sigh when the door shut behind him and I waited for someone to say something, anything. Nothing?

"Well, he seemed like a nice man," I muttered, trying to break the silence.

Edward cursed, Bella laughed, Rosalie snarled for whatever reason and Alice sneezed. Yeah, the Cullen's were really odd people.

The weeks passed by and with each one of them I felt more and more at home. I worked as often as I could and did my best to sell as much as possible. Some of Bella's old school friends came in and browsed and giggled like kids. They made small digs at her while Bella just smiled and watched them fall deeper and deeper into sticker shock. They hardly made a purchase, but when they did, it was always for something small to make it look like they could afford it. They reeked of jealousy. They reeked of high school.

Bella and I got closer and she told me funny stories about her trying to ride a motorcycle and jumping off a cliff.

"Do you still ride? Motorcycles that is?" I asked her and watched as her face clouded.

She shook her head no and said, "No, Edward... Ummm... well, see, I had an accident... Something with the breaks, I don't really understand it. I got hurt, really bad... Edward doesn't, he doesn't really like me to ride anymore."

I snorted, "You mean he doesn't allow you to ride?"

She just shrugged. I could understand his point of view and hers. It's hard seeing someone you love hurt so terribly. "What about Jacob? Didn't he build the bike for you?"

A soft smile touched her lips, but it was a sad one. "Yeah, Jake, he doesn't allow me to ride anymore either."

She didn't have to say that he felt guilt over the accident. I could hear it in her voice and if he was anything like she described, how could he not? He was the one to put the motorcycle together for her. I'm sure he'd have felt at fault for any kind of mechanical failure. Still, when she talked of Jacob, I could feel the ache when she spoke of him.

There was something there. Something deep and painful, but he was also a source of joy for her. A friend, maybe more at one time? I didn't know and it was hardly polite to ask.

"Where is he? Does he still live around here?" I finally did ask one day.

Bella shook her head and sighed sadly. "He comes and goes sometimes. It's been a while since he's been back. I miss him."

There was more to the story, a lot more, but if she wasn't willing to tell it, I wasn't going to pry. It was none of my business.

I did open up a little bit about my past, but not much. No one knew the whole story. I didn't think telling them what a crappy life I had was going to do anyone any good, so I kept it to myself.

I began to like Forks, though the weather did leave a lot to be desired. I really wanted to make it out to the reservation soon. Different cultures always intrigued me and I would've loved to see a real Indian village. On top of that, I really could use another friend. Someone more in my fiscal range.

The nights were the hardest, alone in my small cabin in the woods. I liked the land and even wondered about planting a small garden or flowers in the spring to brighten it up a bit. The only thing that I didn't like was coming home after dark, I hated coming home at night.

I could hear wolves howling, a lot of them. It was scary, raised goose-flesh on my whole body. One morning when it hadn't rained, I found a huge print about five feet from my front porch. Too close. Too big. I swear it had to have come from a mutant because I had never seen a paw print so big. If I didn't know better, I would have thought they were bear, but they weren't. It was from a wolf. Perhaps the same one that made all the racket in the forest at night?

In the evening, once I was tucked snug inside of my house, I never left until morning. I was seriously thinking about getting a dog or two maybe. Really big dogs or at least a shotgun. Maybe a flamethrower? I never had to deal with wolves back where I came from. It was both exhilarating and frightening at the same time. I also knew that if I ever saw one up close, I'd wet myself.

My life was settling finally and I even started to shop around for a newer car. The van had served me well, but she was a bitch on gas and now that I had found a place to call home, I just didn't need it anymore. The final piece of baggage to shed for a new start.

It was lunch time and Bella insisted on taking me over to a car lot down the street. Her father was friends with the owner and she swore that he'd give me a good deal. I was skeptical, but I agreed. I wanted to unload the Gas Guzzling Gussy as soon as possible.

Bella walked out of the store in front of me but the next thing I knew I was smack up against her body. She was a lot more muscular than I had expected and cold. How could she stand being so cold? While I bounced off of her, she didn't budge. It was like she grew roots.

"Bella, what the..." I trailed off as I looked in the direction she was facing. My jaw dropped open and I let out a small, strangled noise.

"Jacob?" she whispered and his head swung in our direction. It was like he _heard_ her or something. His eyes flashed something for a moment, pain maybe, before he masked it and broke out into a breathtaking smile.

"Bella!" He called and started jogging toward us. Bella took off running and launched herself into his arms. Jacob spun her around as she howled with laughter and demanded he put her down.

The only other person I saw put that look on her face was Edward and she never laughed like that, with anyone.

Once her feet were back on the ground they started talking intently, and touching. They never fully let go of one another. It was odd, like they were both holding on to each other for fear the other would slip away, never to be seen again. Watching like I was, I felt like I was intruding. That clumsy awkwardness that everyone has felt in middle school came crashing back over me and I wanted, _needed_ to turn away. I called out to Bella to tell her that I'd take a rain check on car shopping. They both turned and looked at me and I gasped. He was very beautiful and and when all of his attention was focused on you, it seemed as if you became the center of his everything. He was like the sun, pulling you into his orbit. So different from Edward, from all the Cullens, but so very much the same. My head felt like it was spinning.

He was so much more than I had ever pictured in my mind. Bella, it seemed, pretty much had forgotten about me in Jacob's presence, and who could blame her, really? Jacob's easy and casual demeanor he was trying to portray changed and I watched him go from relaxed to intense in a heartbeat. And, all that intensity was directed toward me.

He shifted, fluid and powerful. He turned to face me and his arms fell away from Bella. They stopped touching. He angled his hips toward me and dropped his head low; his eyes went smokey. He took a step in my direction and I stumbled back one. My heart skipped a beat and Jacob turned his head slightly, like he heard it and knew I was ready to bolt. I didn't know why I felt the urge to run, but I did. I felt like I was being stalked, like prey. It was both frightening and exciting at the same time. No one in my life every looked at me like that. Not even my husband. Jacob was looking at me like I was everything to him, and that scared me a bit. I had never even met him before.

He was breathtaking; that was all I could think of. He was perfect in his tight black t-shirt and snug black jeans. How was he not freezing, because it was so damn cold outside? The coldest day I've witnessed so far. I was freezing, my blood felt like ice running through me until he looked at me. Then heat flashed over me. It was disconcerting. Truth be told, it was scary. Only one look from him and my body was going haywire.

Why was he walking my way? No, why he was stalking me? I felt like a rabbit caught in his trap. What did he want from me? I really wanted to bolt, everything inside of me screamed for me to do just that. Run back in the store and lock the door. But before I could move, he was there touching me, holding me by the upper arms and staring intently down into my eyes.

His hands burned though my coat and sweater. They branded me with their heat. His size was amazing. He had to be close to six and a half feet tall. Easily the biggest man I had ever seen and he was towering over me, demanding answers to questions that I couldn't understand.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice pitched low and rough. It almost felt like he was accusing me of something.

He was so much bigger up close than he looked twenty feet away. Huge. Had Bella passed him up for Edward. Why? He was golden perfection. When he repeated the question and I shuddered in confusion and the stirrings of fear, "Danni, Danni Greene."

_Oh, God, please don't hurt me._ I don't know where the thought come from but he was big and scary and I knew I couldn't break his hold if I used all my strength. He scared me.

"Danni? How long have you been here, Danni?" he growled.

Tears sprang to my eyes and I shook my head, not understanding as to why it mattered, "Almost two months," I managed to choke out.

"Jacob?" Bella snapped beside him. I could feel her cold hands next to his on my arms, trying to pry his off. "Jake!" she barked when he didn't acknowledge her.

He tilted his head slightly in her direction, but never took his eyes off of mine. I was frightened when moments before I had been dazzled by his beauty. My heart was racing and my body coated in a cold sweat. Was he crazy? Or perhaps a murderer? How well did Bella know him? They'd been kids when they hung out, maybe he changed, everyone changes after all.

"You're scaring her, Jake," Bella said calmly but firmly.

His grip finally loosened on my arms and I couldn't stop the whimper that came out when he let go. He didn't mean to hurt me, I think I knew that in the back of my mind, but that didn't stop the fear and panic I had felt began to ease slightly after he released me.

Jacob was big, a lot bigger than I had expected and strong and where his hands had held me, it burned. He was so hot and intense. Everything about him overwhelmed me in seconds. No matter what good things Bella had to say about him, I wanted him to stay away from me. For reasons that I couldn't grasp, I needed him to stay away. Everything screamed inside of me for his touch and that made the fear come back hard and stronger than ever before.

I stumbled back, tripped on a crack in the concrete and fell on my ass, hard. He reached down to help me back up but I pulled away, "NO!" I barked, "Don't touch me again." I looked up into his black eyes and shivered and shook my head. For whatever reason, he seemed to understand what I was saying and took a small step back.

He waited, close by and ready to help if I had needed it. I didn't. His stance was stiff and formal, watchful. Was he putting himself between me and Bella?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Thanks to MrsTrentRezner and Bitten for help and beta.

Warning: Language, talk of violence and death

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**Jacob**

**I had a feeling that going into town would be a mistake. The chance of avoiding Bella there was slim. Part of me wanted to see her, but a much larger part didn't. It was really hard to get over someone when you had to come face to face with them all the time. ****It was one of the reasons I stayed away as long as I did.**

**Ten minutes into my errands, the inevitable happened and I heard my name. There was no mistaking that singsong voice that haunted me for so long; it was only slightly different than when she ****was**** human. It was even **_**more**_**mesmerizing**** now. I flinched; like a girl! Pathetic. The pain of her loss was like a sucker punch to the gut, even after all this time. Hard, brutal and sharp. With a deep breath and tightening of my fists, it was over just as quick. Time away from Forks did me good. **

**"Bella!" I called out in greeting and after the initial pain of running into her again, I felt glad. She looked good,**** flawless. Perfect. Happy, but un-Bella-like. She was looked too much like **_**him**_**. Edward, the bloodsucking bastard, took away everything that made her unique. I could kill him for it! **

**I started toward her, but never expected her to run and lunch herself into my arms. It felt nice to hold her again, but not quite right. She was too cold and too hard and her scent was all wrong. It was Bella, but not. Still, I pretended and spun her around to get her going. She screamed and struggled like I knew she would. She still had a little bit of her old self buried inside her almost lifeless body. **

**After I put her down, we fell into our normal ways and began chatting each other up and joking around. Old habits died hard and for some reason, she and I were always touchy with each other. Somehow that hadn't changed, but I missed the warmth of her skin. I missed human Bella. Thoughts clouded my mind, guilt and disgust lingered. If I hadn't screwed up, ****she'd ****still be human; ok **_**maybe**_** she'd still be human. Either way, I wouldn't have had a direct part in killing her. After all these years, I still can't find the reason why the brakes failed and the guilt I ****carried**** because of that was like cancer to my soul.**

**A woman that I hadn't noticed until now spoke to Bella, saying that she'd take a rain check on lunch. Snort, lunch with Bella, she must be getting better at that glamor thing they do. If that's what they call it. We both turned toward the voice and everything that I ever was fell away. **

**My vision sharpened, turned canine and tunneled. There was just her, the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Bella had been a girl when I loved her and her former human self could never hold a candle to ****this woman****. She was smaller than me, everyone was, but as I got closer, I could tell she had to be a good foot shorter. Her hair was kinda short and wispy, brown but when the light caught it, it flashed red highlights. Her eyes were the color of a dark chocolate, flecked with gold. **

**Those liquid eyes stared up at me in shock and the stirrings of fear. "Who are you?" I asked her, gripping her tight by the shoulders. ****I knew my hands were too hard, but**** I was afraid if I let go, she'd vanish. Touching her, holding her made it real. Made it possible. I already knew the answer to the question, but not her name. I was so blindsided, I demanded anyway. She was the one I had been looking for. The one I had dreamed of finding and the one that I had almost given up hope on. She was it, the one. MINE! **

**"Danni, Danni Greene****," s****he managed in a small, concerned voice. **

**"Danni? How long have you been here, Danni?" How long has she been this close, just miles away from me while I suffered alone, waiting for her? It enraged me. I was pissed off at myself for not sensing her, pissed off at her for being able to hide from me. Shouldn't my soul have sensed hers? Was I really that defective that if she hadn't spoken, I would have walked right by her and never have ****known****? Forks was a small town, there is no **_**reason**_** it should have taken us this long to bump into each other, other than the fact I had been avoiding Bella for the last few weeks**** since I got back into town.**

**Again, my own actions turn around and bite me in the ass. Bella, it all revolved around her. **

_**Dammit! **_

**I wanted to shake her, I almost did. I wanted to kiss her, pull her close and assure her that I wasn't the crazy nutjob that I appeared to be, but was that the truth? I just wanted to finally loose myself in her and find peace. I was so tired of being alone. **

**"Jacob. Jake, your scaring her," Bella said as she tried to pry my hands from Danni's arms. **

**Bella was right. My voice of reason. I let go, slowly, unwilling to break contact. It was difficult to release her when all I wanted to do was hold and protect her. Seemed like I was the one she needed protecting from. **

**She stumbled and fell hard. I reached down to help her up but she didn't want me touching her again. How could ****I ****blame her, really? I was acting crazy and she had no idea why. The urge to touch her was almost overwhelming. I think she felt the same because I saw something in her eyes, a pleading to stay away****when every nerve cell demanded that we touched****. Confusion, because we had never met. The pull of the imprint would make no sense to her, she wouldn't understand it. I had to explain. **

**I could scent her fear and that made me angry. She was afraid of me, of the situation, but I couldn't accept that. I'd never hurt her. She was my everything. I stepped in front of her, blocking her from the bloodsuckers. Blocking her from Bella. **

~~

* * *

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Bella ground out and gave Jacob a hard shove to try to move him. He staggered only a bit and looked down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't push me, Bella." It was said softly but there was a bite to it. The casual way they had been with each other only minutes before was gone. Completely. They faced each other as almost adversaries. Why? Over me? It didn't make any sense.

I was so confused. What had I done to cause all of this? I should have just walked away without saying anything. I would have never drawn Jacob's attention to me and they wouldn't be fighting now. I hated fights, nothing good ever came out of them. I've seen and been involved in my share of them. Life as I had known ended because of one. I couldn't deal with another one, not like this. Not over me, not between two people that loved each other.

_Would I get fired now?_ I wondered. Would Bella decide it was best for me to not work for her any longer? That maybe I was more trouble that I was worth? It happened before, it wouldn't be the first time someone brushed me off because of the actions of others around me. Just when things started to fall into place a man comes along to fuck it up again. Typical and just my luck. Maybe I should start dating girls. The stray thought made a bubble of hysterical laughter escape but no one bothered to look at me.

"Bella?"

The three of us snapped our heads in unison toward the voice and there was a heartbeat where time seemed to freeze. Then the tension skyrocketed up 500 percent.

"Stay out of this, Cullen," Jacob, the first to speak, growled.

Edward ignored him, but turned and looked at me, "Are you ok, Danni?" His voice was calm, almost frighteningly so, but his eyes held that intense look again, like he was trying to see inside of my head to be sure. I had no idea what he'd find there. My thoughts were all jumbled and blurred. Random with blanks.

I blinked, glanced up at Jacob, nodded and managed to get a weak "yes" past my lips. Jacob shifted a bit more in front of me, now blocking my view of Edward and my fear of violence once again escalated.

"This doesn't concern you," Jacob told Edward coolly. There was some serious anger and, dare I say, hate between the two of them. It had to have more root than just Bella. Sure, she was pretty, Edward had her, Jacob wanted her, that much had been obvious, but there was something else. Something dark and dangerous, something I wasn't privy to.

"That's where you are wrong, Jacob. Danni is under my family's protection. Everything about her concerns me."

Whoa, what? It sounded almost like old school MOB movies. Everyone seemed to forget, I was my own person and I didn't _need _to be protected. Bella again tried to step between them, but Edward shifted ever so slightly, blocking her move. Putting him and Jacob toe to toe.

Jacob took a step closer to Edward and I panicked.

_Oh God, please don't fight. Please don't fight. _Fear gripped me tight, cut off my air and all I could think of was my late husband and how he was killed during a fight. I wouldn't be able to handle that again. Jacob was so much bigger than Edward. It wouldn't take much effort to hurt him badly, maybe even fatally.

I couldn't stand that, not over me. I wouldn't survive it.

I had no idea what was going on or why Jacob was acting so odd toward me. Truth be told, I didn't want to know at this point. I wanted to get as far away from him as possible, from all of them. What was wrong with everyone?

"Please don't fight. Please don't fight... please, please, please! Don't hurt him." I must have spoken out loud, and I wasn't sure who I was speaking too. Jacob I think, I was worried he'd hurt Edward, but I couldn't stomach the thought of either of them being injured.

My body started to shake and everything I thought I left behind came crashing back down around me.

"Bella, get her out of here," Edward ordered smoothly but firmly. I felt Bella's hand on my shoulder and shivered.

"No!" was Jacob's sharp command and Bella snatched her hand back.

"Look at her, Jacob, she doesn't know you and she is frightened. Back off. She doesn't want a fight."

"I'd never hurt her," Jacob said before he turned and looked at me, "I'll never hurt you, Danni." He reached for me but I was too frozen to move. Shell shocked over everything that had happened in the last few months, few years really. When had my new life spun so far out of control? How did I end up stuck in the middle of some deep seeded battle?

Jacob's eyes softened slightly as he looked at me before he pulled back he threw his hands up in the air and sighed. After a few calming breaths he spoke again, "I'm sorry, okay. Holy shit, they never said it was like this!"

"What's wrong with you, Jake?" Bella asked, trying to work her way between Jacob and Edward. I found that amusing, she was a good bit smaller than me. How could she protect either one from the other?

"Shit, Bells, I just imprinted on Danni," Jacob said in explanation, his hands gesturing wildly.

Imprinted? What the hell did that mean? From the sound of everyone's reaction, nothing good for me.

"Just like that? After all this time, after everything..." Bella asked, sounding almost... doubtful.

"That's how it works, I guess."

Everyone's mood changed instantly and once again, my head felt like it was spinning. Bella and Edward looked at each other then me. Edward took a small step back, I swear he bowed and pulled Bella along with him. It was odd, when only moments ago, he was willing, ready to fight, now he was retreating? Because of some imprinting crap? What the ... ?

I blinked and the next thing I knew, Jacob was surrounded by five, huge, shirtless guys. One of them was Sam, I recognized him from the shop.

I looked at him and he smiled at me. "It's ok, Danni, no one's gonna hurt you."

Hurt me? Maybe not, hurt each other, possibly. I looked over at Edward and found the whole Cullen clan surrounding him. _How had everyone gotten there so fast__?_ I could feel my head starting to pound. I hated being the center of attention and right now, there was almost a dozen people surrounding me! People that seemed to appear out of thin air. Pale, beautiful people and half naked, painfully perfect people.

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. I hoped when I opened them, this would all have been a dream. A weird, long dream. I'd wake up in my old crappy trailer, baking in the heat. The smell of stale alcohol would tingle my nose.

Deep breath. Earth. Rain. Woods. Jacob.

Shit!

I opened my eyes again to find Jacob and Edward standing side by side now, watching me. It didn't make any sense, only moments ago, they were ready to rip each other's throat out. I knew I had to make a choice; but I had no idea why. I was missing a huge part of the puzzle and I wanted some damn answers.

"You need to come back to the reservation with us now, Danni."

It was Sam that spoke, but all of the clothing-optional men gave me a small nod. Jacob's eyes burned at me and I shivered. He was scary and sexy and I knew I didn't want to be alone with him.

Edward sneered and spoke in a language I'd never heard. Clearly, it was Jacob's native tongue. They exchanged more heated words. I had enough!

"Stop! All of you, just... stop!" I snapped and glared at every one of them.

I stopped once I got to Edward and noticed his eyes were darker than normal, almost black instead of their rich amber. In fact all of the Cullen's eyes had darkened. Jacob and his cronies' eyes seemed to almost glow in the dim daylight. Something was not right, with any of them.

What in the hell had I stepped in here?

I addressed Edward, "The little joke you had about reading my mind, that's true isn't it?" He just blinked at me and I knew I had my answer. I looked out over the whole lot of them and shook my head. "None of you are normal, I can't put my finger on it, but you're all different somehow."

"Come back to the rez and we'll explain everything," Jacob said softly and took a step toward me. I held up my hand and he stopped.

"I don't want to go anywhere, with any of you. Not yet, not right now. I'm seriously thinking about going back to my cabin, packing my shit and leaving."

"You can't do that. Danni, give me a chance to explain..." Jacob begged.

"Give you a chance? I don't even _know_ you. And explain what, Jacob? How you grabbed me out of the blue and scared the shit out of me? Why you're starting fights with my friends? Are you going to explain what this 'imprinting' thing is all about and what the hell it has to do with me?"

"Yes."

I snorted out a laugh. "Just like that? All these secrets you all seem to have, you're just gonna lay them all out?"

Jacob glanced at Sam and Edward, neither looked too thrilled with the idea. "Yeah."

"Why now, Edward? After knowing me these last couple of months, you chose now to tell me the truth?" _About reading my mind?_

"Because, it is not possible to keep it from you now. It is safer for you to have all the facts, where before, it was not."

I laughed again and picked up my purse that had fallen to the ground. "I knew there was something different about the Cullens." I fished my keys out of my bag and said to no one in particular, "I'm not stupid, but believing in the unbelievable isn't something that comes easy to me. I'm going home now, Bella, I'm taking the rest of the day off. I think I've earned it."

"Danni, wait."

"Let her go, Jake,." Sam ordered.

I didn't bother to wait for a reaction out of Jacob. I walked over to my obnoxious van and fired it up. I drove slowly and calmly from the parking lot onto main street. It was only then that I allowed my hands to shake.

"What the _hell_ is going on around here?" I asked myself and wiped a stray tear from my face.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught movement along the side of the road. Something running, something large and red. I stepped on the gas a little harder, just wanting to get home.

When I pulled into my driveway, Jacob was standing on my porch, breathing hard. Waiting.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Thanks to Bitten and MrsTrentRezner for beta

Warning: Language, talk of supernatural beings

Jacob is bold

* * *

**"Let her go, Jake." Sam said, but how could I? She was everything, how could I allow her to walk away from me without explaining? Damn my Alpha and damn the Cullens. I couldn't _wait_ for the day Edward would burn in hell!**

**As soon as she pulled out onto the road, I turned and ran for the woods. As I stripped and shifted, I could hear Sam swearing at me in my mind. I didn't care. She was my mate, I wasn't about to let her deal with this on her own. Sometimes not knowing what is going on makes everything worse. Danni had the right to know who and what I was.**

**She drove the speed limit on the way home for the most part. I could feel her confusion, but I couldn't read her thoughts or her face. She must have noticed me keeping pace alongside her, I heard her heart skip, and she started to drive a little faster. I wasn't sure if she _knew _it was me, or something else, but it spooked her. I changed course and went to heavier cover. I didn't need her flipping out and having an accident or a heart attack.**

**I arrived at her cabin first and quickly dressed. I didn't think she was ready to see me in the buff or as a wolf just yet. Shit was going to be hard enough to explain.**

**After I scoped out the property to make sure we were alone, I stood on her front porch and waited.**

**Two minutes later, she pulled up and I heard her curse. I couldn't help the small smile that touched my lips. She was spunky; I liked that. She wasn't very happy to see me; that I didn't really care for. She opened the van door, got out and glared at me.**

**"I don't even want to know how you got here so fast," she paused and looked around, "without a car, but I hope you can leave just as quickly." Her footsteps were hard and hurried. She was upset, I could tell that, she had every right to be, but still, I _had_ to explain.**

**"Maybe I ran," I said evenly, waiting to see her reaction. She stiffened slightly and I think that's what worried her.**

**"That's what I'm afraid of. Go away, Jacob. You've upset me enough today and I'm not ready to talk about this yet."**

**Danni strode past me to her door and unlocked it. Her hand shook only slightly as she did so. She tried to kick it shut behind her with a booted foot, but I stopped it before it could slam in my face.**

**"Avoiding me isn't gonna make this go away," I told her simply as I walked in behind her. Nothing was going to make me go away, even if she told me she never wanted to see me again.**

**"I don't know what this is. No, there _isn't _any _this_. I don't know you. Leave!"**

**I snorted, yeah, right. That was gonna happen. It was cold in her place so I began to make a fire for her. Sure, I might run hot, but she didn't.**

**"What are you _doing_?"**

**"Making a fire," I said, chuckling lightly, hoping to ease the tension a little. She was really stressed out and for that I was sorry. I caused all of it, I knew that. I wasn't stupid. I could see she didn't like having me in her space. I was a stranger to her, someone that acted all kinds of crazy in the middle of town. What would I do to her here, alone, in the woods. She had every right to be wary. What she didn't know was I'd die before I'd hurt her.**

**"Stop. I don't want you to make a fire." She finally stomped her foot like a child when I didn't stop right away. A really pissed off child. "Enough wood, Jacob!"**

**I sighed and looked at her again, "But it's cold in here."**

**"I don't care! What gives you the right to come in my house, _uninvited,_ and start making a fire? Using all my wood? Winter's coming."**

**I could see this wasn't about the fire at all. I set the log I had in my hand back on the pile and sighed again. She was worried about not having enough wood. Such a simple thing when you were surrounded by huge trees. Still, I couldn't see her out there with a chainsaw, hacking down a few. She wouldn't need too. She'd never want for wood or anything else as long as there was breath in my body.**

**She was unsettled and annoyed. I couldn't say that I blamed her at all, but unless she gave me a minute to explain, things would never get straightened out between us.**

**"Danni," I said calmly, "sit down or make some tea. Relax and allow me to take care of you."**

**"I don't _need_ anyone taking care of me," she said, but her voice cracked.**

**"I think that you do and even if you don't, I can't help myself. Maybe I _need_ to take care of you?"**

**I watched as the fight went out of her. She plopped down on one of the two kitchen chairs and sighed tiredly. "What do you want from me, Jacob? We just met and you come here, shoving yourself into my life and acting all freaky. I can't deal with it. I'm tired, it's been a very long and strange day."**

**What did I want from her? Only everything. I wanted to touch her and kiss her. I wanted to hold her and protect her. I wanted to keep her safe from all the bloodsuckers in the world and I wanted to see her belly swell with my pups.**  
**_  
Woo, where did _**that** _come from?_**

**Shit, now that I had her attention, I didn't know where to start. How do you tell someone that you are a shape-shifter? That you could take the form of a wolf, a _really_ _big_ wolf and your sole purpose in life was hunting down and killing vampires? Oh, and you're supposed to be the Alpha, but you haven't stepped up to the plate yet.**

**"I.. ahh...well?"**

**She banged her head on the table and laughed. It was hollow and woody laugh. One totally without humor. "Ahh, well. That's all you've got to say?"**

**"It's kinda a long story. I just don't know where to start."**

**With a another tired sigh, she fluttered her hand and said, "Why not try from the beginning."**

**I sat down opposite her and ran my hands through my hair. I had grown it long after Bella changed, but wore it short once again. It was easier all around. Less tangles as a wolf too. "The beginning..." I trailed off again and swallowed, "What I'm about to tell you can never leave this room, no matter what you decide, ok?"**

No matter what I decide. That didn't sound good at all. Secrets, great. I would really prefer not to know anyone's deep, dark secrets. Especially ones that sounded like they required more than a pinky swear. "Ok," I agreed knowing that I had no other choice.

"Quileute's, my tribe, are descended from wolves." He began to explain and I swear my heart just about jumped out of my chest. I heard the wolves, had seen the tracks and I _so_ did NOT like where this was going. My cabin was outside of town, very close to the reservation.

I really didn't want to here anymore, nothing after that first sentence could possibly be good.

Before he could go any further, I took a breath and spoke slowly, "I don't believe in giant wolves, Jacob. I know there has to be a logical reason for me hearing howling all night or for the massive prints I find from time to time. I just haven't figured it out yet, but I will."

He just stopped and looked at me, his eyes earnest, "You've seen prints?"

"Ahhh... once or twice," I replied, feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. Nervous again. See, secrets do that to me. I never told anyone before about the prints or the howling. Now I wish I would have kept my mouth shut.

Jacob closed his eyes and frowned. After a moment, he let out a breath, "Sam."

"Sam what?" I asked. The way he said it was like an answer. Sam. What about Sam?

"It was Sam."

"What was Sam?"

"The prints. It was Sam making sure you were safe."

Right? And Sam has what, really big paw print shoes? "Safe from what and why would he and how could he leave huge paw prints behind?"

"Well... see... Sam's a shape-shifter." Jacob said with a half laugh. He was trying to lighten the mood. He failed but I could tell there had been a playful side of Jacob. I could see it peeking through when his eyes sparkled a little bit, but I think he forgot it was there. Lots of hard years behind those black eyes. I knew the feeling.

Tired, lonely eyes. And insanity too, I think.

"A shape-shifter... right." I burst out into a nervous giggle because if I didn't expel some type of emotion, I'd either scream or sob madly. This wasn't real, it couldn't be real. People turning into wolves? It was something out of a sci-fi movie. This was real life. Things like that didn't exist, right?

Jacob just waited me out, watching me intently with his fathomless eyes. After I settled down, he rubbed his palms together and said, "I'm also shape-shifter."

"Of course you are. Why wouldn't you be? Great! Just what I need. Mutant wolves howling at the moon outside my window. Dammit," I said and jumped up from my chair and went into the kitchen. "I'm not sure who's more crazy, you for believing this shit or me for listening to it! It's got to be me. I mean, I let some strange man into my home. A man that is _twice_ my size_,_ and who has already accosted me on the street. I deserved to get killed and chopped up into little pieces..."

"Danni,"

I rounded on him and snapped, "Don't Danni me, Jacob! Who do you think you are, coming in to my life and turning it upside down like this? All I wanted was a normal life, a good life. Is that really too much to ask? Oh my God, I met you an hour ago, and you are standing in my house, telling me you're a wolf?"

"I'm sorry," he said and he did look it, truly.

"For what? Grabbing me? Following me home? Bullshitting me? Scaring me half to death? Or maybe imprinting on me, whatever the hell that means. Well I didn't ask for this, any of it. I _told _you not to come here."

He stood quickly and towered over me. I gulped and took a step back, he followed. His voice dropped lower, softer. "Imprinting means that the Powers that Be, The Great Spirit, your God, _whoever_, decided that we're meant to be together. We're soul mates, Danni." He was dead serious, "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

I shook my head as tears fell, "No," I whispered. "I don't believe you."

His face clouded over with pain briefly and it hurt my heart to see it. It shouldn't have, there was no reason that it would. I had no emotional ties to this man. Nothing. We had just met, why would his pain hurt me?

"It is your right to deny and refuse the imprint. Just know this, there will never be anyone else for me. You are the other half of my soul."

"How can you _say_ that?" I whispered.

He gave me a small smile and once again, he was beautiful, "Because for the first time in six years I feel free and alive. I can say that because for once, the pain that has lived inside of me, this black ache in my heart is gone."

Jacob ran his finger along my jaw line and I shivered. "You don't even know me...I have a lot of baggage."

"So do I."

He took a step closer and I wanted to snuggle against his heat. It was unnatural, people never ran that warm without being sick. Because of that, I used it to push him away.

"God, you're like a furnace." So hot. So overwhelming. He had a wild scent that clung to him. It was faint, but there and I found it very alluring. Everything about Jacob Black excited me, confused me and scared me in equal parts. I knew it was best to stay away from him.

"Yeah," he said, stepping back, "We run a little warmer than the average."

I snorted, a _little_ warmer? Against reason, I sorta believed him so I asked, "Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with what we hunt?"

"And what _do_ you hunt?"

He looked uncomfortable at the question, almost like he wasn't willing to tell me. "Ahhh, well... that's kinda not my place to say. Not yet at least. I've broken enough tribal laws already coming here, telling you as much as I have."

My jaw hit the floor. Was he serious? He was planning on leaving out a huge part of the story and again, expecting me to just blindly trust him? No way was I going to live with half truths.

"Why do you hate the Cullens, aside from the fact you're in love with Bella?"

"I'm not in love with Bella."

I raised my brow at him and he shook his head, "Not anymore. It took a while, but I'm over it."

"Riiight."

He let out a small growl and started pacing the small area of my cabin. Oh, so the wolf can be rattled? Seemed that the subject of Bella and the Cullens was taboo.

He was so large, it only took him a few strides from side to side. I watched him for a while. He was so fluid, prowling. Silent. Breathtaking to watch. Head low, arms to the side and his long muscular legs eating up the space quickly. When he didn't offer any more information, I shook my head and sighed.

"I think it's time for you to go now. You know where to find me when you decide to tell me the whole story."

All his pacing made me nervous. With each step, the tightness in his body went up a notch. You'd think it would help, the movement. Not in his case.

"I have to talk to Sam and the Elders," he stated more to himself that me. He was lost in thought, trying to work around a problem that I didn't understand.

"Whatever, Jacob," I said and walked toward the door. I opened it and waited for him to exit.

Once on the porch, he turned and grinned at me, "Can I have a good night kiss?"

I smiled back and said, "Not a chance." And slammed the door in his face.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Special thanks to Bitten and MTR for beta and input.

Warning: Language and talk of supernatural things.  
**Jacob is bold,** Danni normal

* * *

**I know I should have told her the truth, all of it, but... she already thought I ****w****as half insane. Telling her that I was a wolf was bad enough, add stories of vampires? Vampires that were her friends, she'd never speak to me again. Besides, it was true what I said. I'd broken a lot of laws and treaties speaking with her. I didn't want to make it any worse. Spilling the beans about vampires really wasn't my place. The Cullens, as much as I hated to admit it, never broke the treaty. They did ****what**** they said they would, stuck to animal blood and only turned Bella when her death had been imminent. To lose Bella was to lose Edward. They wouldn't have it. I wouldn't have minded, personally, but it is more about the whole than what my wishes were. I was not alpha, my word was not law. I could not forbid them to change her. ****I couldn't prove that doing so broke the treaty.**** In the end, because of my feelings, I caved and allowed them to save her.**

**Man, did I get an ass chewing later that day, but ****what**** was done was done. It's easier to humbly apologize than to ask permission. It's easier to consent than watch someone you love die.**

**Now, there was a good chance I could be reprimanded for my actions again. I disobeyed my alpha, again. I went against the wishes of the Council of Elders, again. Would it matter to them that Danni was my other half? That I had imprinted this time? Like really imprinted, not wishful thinking?**

**Maybe, but I couldn't be sure. She was a stranger to them, from a different way of life. An Easterner and she was white. I know the Elders were really hoping I'd pick from one of the remaining tribe females. Keep the lines pure. Last of the Blacks. If my wife turned out to be white, well, would that dilute the bloodline? Dilute the ability to phase? I really did not know. I hadn't even had a chance to think that far. I ****have ****got to get her to **_**like**_** me before I can even **_**think**_** about pups and marriage. Besides, I didn't care. The Powers that Be felt she was my perfect match, she's mine, no matter what the color of her skin is.**

**S****am had met her bef****ore and he seemed to like her enough to worry about her protection. It was odd to me that he kept watch over her. Did he know something I didn't? Danni was mine, my responsibility. I wasn't sure if it sat well with me, having him sneak around her house after dark. He had Emily, he loved her, I knew that, but Danni was my mate, my imprint. Why had he never put me on patrol? Even though I'd been MIA, I was still second in line. He should have shared her protection with me. Maybe our first meeting would have gone a bit smoother if I hadn't been blindsided when my nerves were so raw at seeing Bella?**

**Perhaps I could use Sam's need to keep Danni safe to my advantage. Help smooth the way with the council? They have been a little disappointed with me lately. What with not stepping up to the plate and all. Still pining after a dead chick and well, generally being gone more than I was around.**

**Still, she **_**was**_** in tight with the bloodsuckers, that wasn't ideal. Guess I kinda was too. How would I ever be able to take my place as chief with that against me? Did I even care?**

**Scary thing was, yeah, I think I did. Because of Danni. I wanted the best for her, needed the best ****for her. I needed to be better for her. A better man, a better wolf and a better chief. Shit, things are gonna get messy.  
****  
****I stripped and headed into the woods. I knew I was expected back at the rez tonight, but I had no intention of going there. I wanted to stick close to Danni ****in ****case she needed me or if a vampire showed up. Sure, she might be friendly toward the Cullens, but would that friendship dissolve when the risk of exposure became real? **

**I paced the length of her property and found nothing amiss. On my third time around, I was cut off by Sam.**

_**The elders are expecting you, **_**he told me calmly. I could sense his anger, but chose to ignore it.**

**I wasn't sure if he was pissed at me or at the whole screwed up situation. Long ago, when I first changed, I tried to listen and do everything I was told. Tried to be a good wolf, but it was really hard for me. It wasn't in my nature to follow orders... I was to give them. Surely he knew this by now.**

_**They're going to be waiting a long time**__**,**_**I told him and moved to continue my circle.**

**He blocked my path and snarled at me. Like that was going to change or intimidate me. I was bigger than him, I was bigger than all of them. **_**Don't! **_**I barked sharply. I was not leaving Danni alone, not tonight when she might be at risk.**

**He ****backed**** away, seemed to slink down just a bit smaller. Yeah, that's right, top dog here, just ****biding**** my time. But it's coming, soon.**

**The Cullens had managed to keep their secret for many years now. Too many, I was starting to think. Everyone in Forks knew them, felt that they were a little different. A good amount of the townsfolk kept their distance, but they respected the hell out of ****Carlisle**** as a doctor. They never made trouble and always minded their own. What more could you ask for? But still, they never changed, never aged. Never got gray hair or fat and bloated like many of the locals. Not much to do in a town this size. Too cold and wet to do much outdoors most of the year. Lots of folks took to overindulging, in drink and in food. A whole lot of fat, drunk slobs laying about. No wonder the vamps liked it here, aside from the lack of sun. Easy pickings.**

**The ****r****ez boys on the other hand, walked around half naked and started fights with the respectable folk. Sneered at the Cullens as often as possible, made the love loss know. Somewhere along the line, we became the ones seemingly making the trouble. Rowdy Indians, just like our ancestors. We heard the whispers, how we're no good, a bunch of losers and how we should all just get a job and ****quit**** living off the government. Little did Forks know, it was us that kept them safe from the slaughter. Stupid, blind fools.**

**We were nowhere, the end of the country. No one cared about a little dinky town like Forks. We had to self-sustain. Charlie couldn't do it all himself, he just didn't know it. ****We ****wolves did what we had to do, what we were born to do and did it well. We kept quiet ****about i****t because to do anything else would bring a whole world of shit down on our heads. No one wanted to end up as a lab rat. So, we sat back and let the whole world shit on us, as they have for many, many years. Maybe one day they'll learn the truth, maybe not. Either way, shit's gonna change when I take ****over. **

* * *

I could hear them moving around outside, though I didn't want to think what _they_ were. I was so tired, but every time I closed my eyes, I started seeing fangs bared in a snarl. Dripping blood. I'd see Jacob's copper skin against my much lighter tone. Gripped hands. I could almost feel his touch and I'd snap my eyes back open again. Sleep would not be easy tonight, not anytime soon.

He was close, I was sure of it. I could feel him, though I didn't understand why. Too close. I wanted to open the door and yell for him to go away, but I was too scared of what I'd find if I did. Besides, I knew the stubborn asshole wouldn't listen.

Part of me seemed to believe every word he told me, all of it, but it wasn't possible to become a wolf. It just wasn't possible, right?

I pressed the pillow over my face and groaned. I wanted sleep, the nothingness of it. No, what I wanted to be was unconscious. If I didn't hate alcohol so bad, I'd drink until I passed out. As it was, I just tossed and turned, in and out of a light sleep all night.

I woke up feeling worse than I had the night before. A hot shower did nothing to ease the cotton that stuffed my head. I was hungry and irritable and now I had to go to work and sell fluffy shit to people that couldn't afford it. Great.

I opened my door to leave and found Sam standing on my porch naked from the waist up. "Where's Jacob? Is he the only one of you guys that owns a shirt?" I asked, not sure I really cared. I was bitchy and my head was starting to hurt.

Sam chuckled lightly and then stopped smiling. "He's meeting with the Elders. He's in some trouble over you."

Fantastic! "And that's _my_ fault?"

"In a round about way, yeah," Sam said, dead serious. What the hell? How could I be blamed for this? Son of a bitch!

"Look, Sam," I told him as I walked to my van, "I didn't ask for this, I'm pretty sure I told _all_ of you to leave me alone." I turned and looked him square in the eye, "If Jacob is in some kind of trouble, it's not my fault. He's got his own mind and is apparently very stubborn. It seems none of you listen very well."

Sam grinned at me and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe we're rebels."

As much as I hated it, I liked Sam. He was pretty funny, in a dry, vaguely scary way. "Look, Jacob only told me the basics. Even with those, the details were sketchy at best. If you're looking for something to hang him with, I got nothing. If you're looking to help him, then, let your elders know that I still don't have a damn clue as to what is going on. I'm still pretty sure I don't want to know, but have a feeling that being oblivious is not an option anymore."

He was quiet for a moment and then said, "The Elders request your presence."

"Well, they're gonna have to wait. I've got to work."

"So after everything Jacob told you, you're still going to go to work for those bloodsuckers."

I froze, everything inside of me went cold. Sam had no idea he told me more with one word that Jacob did with hundreds.

I tuned slowly and looked at him and said, "Bloodsuckers?" I had the privilege of watching all the color leach from his face. White was not his color.

"He didn't tell you?" Sam whispered in disbelief.

I shook my head slowly. "Nooo, he said he was bound by tribal law and at this point, was unable to divulge certain information. He said that it wasn't his story to tell."

Sam threaded his fingers though his short, black hair, "Shit!"

I snorted, "Yeah, shit. You just told me what Jacob didn't." I got into my van and turned the key. I was shaking so bad and was on the verge of crying. I wanted to get away from Sam. I wanted to talk to Jacob, or kill him, and I was scared to death about going to work now. Thanks a lot. I've had some shitty days growing up, this one might just take the cake.

Bloodsuckers, he called them. The Cullens. I knew that was who he was referring to. The term, as far as I know, was only used to describe two things, lawyers or vampires. The Cullens weren't lawyers, I knew that for a fact.

That could only mean one thing and _that_ thing was impossible. Right? I mean, I only imagined that they didn't eat and it was Forks; it was cold and rainy all the time. Everyone's hands felt like ice cubes now and again. Well, except Jacob's, apparently. Sure they were pale, but no sunlight will do that to anyone, except Jacob, apparently.

Shit! Why did it always come back around to him? Because in the last 18 hours, he's jammed his life down my throat. Shape-shifters and possible vampires. What the hell? And I thought I'd live the quiet life in a small town. Boy was I wrong. Should have known. It's always the small towns that hold the most secrets. Crapola!

Still, vampires and werewolves? Come on? This was real life, not a movie. They didn't exist, couldn't exist. People that drank blood to live? Were literally walking dead? _Not zombies, but... well... kinda. What was the difference? Oh, zombies ate brains. Brains... brains.. Oh my, God, I think I __am__ loosing my brains or maybe they got scrambled some how? _

Was I in a coma?

I gripped the wheel tight as I drove toward town. I blinked and there was that asshole, standing in the middle of the road. I slammed on my brakes and still I almost hit him. He didn't budge. After I came to a skidding stop, he walked around to the driver's side and opened the door calm as could be. My heart was pounding in my chest. Just want I needed to top off an already shitty morning.

"Slide over," he said as he all but sat his huge body on top of me. I scrambled out of the way and once seated in the passenger side, punched him hard in the arm, twice. He didn't flinch while I almost broke my hand. Shit, his muscles were hard as iron. Wincing, I rubbed my hand and blinked away the tears that stung my eyes.

"Dammit! Are you insane?" I growled when I found my voice again.

He didn't answer my question, didn't even look at me really, though he did glance at my throbbing hand. "Sam told me what happened."

"Ok, so why did you decide standing in the middle of the road was a good idea?" I could tell I was close to my breaking point again. It seemed that I'd had more stress in the last almost 24 hours than I have had since I'd moved there. Since I'd met Jacob.

"I wasn't about to let you walk into a room full of vampires, alone." He didn't have to say that he was worried and that it was dangerous. I could tell by the tone of his voice. Would they really hurt me now?

"I've been doing it for almost two months now." I took a breath, let it out. Tried to relax and think things through. "Vampires, really?"

"Yep."

"It's cliched. Vamps and wolves. So old school Hollywood," I muttered as I looked out the window at all the passing damp green. What the hell was going on in this small, rain drenched town?

"Well, what can I say?" he shrugged," most legends start with some truth. Somewhere along the line, someone must have seen something or talked. I don't know which, I don't really care about that. All I care about is you not getting your throat ripped out by one of those leeches."

"But vampires? Do they drink blood? Like... warm, sticky, coppery blood?"

"It only takes one bite, Danni, and you could be one of them. Or worse... would that be worse?. Yes. I can't deal with another woman I care about turning into one of them." Jacob turned and looked at me, "I wouldn't survive it, Danni."

"Jacob," I whispered. How could he say something like that after such a short time? Trying to lighten the mood I grinned, "Just one bite? Ick."

Jacob laughed and shook his head. "You're the one that works for them!"

Well, unknowingly up until now. "You're the one that's in love with one of them."

"I _told _you, I'm over her," he said firmly.

"Hummm... since when?"

"Ahh, well, since... I met you."

I laughed, really laughed at that. "Oh, my God, you are such a corn ball!"

He grinned at me and my heart skipped, "Yeah well, it's the truth. You're it for me, Danni. You may not like it or understand it, but I'll make you love me. One way or another."

Humm... Just what I need. To be in love with a wolf. _Sigh_.

"I'm kinda scared, Jacob. Of you, of them. This isn't natural?"

"I figured that. Before they were just eccentric people, not killers." Jacob sighed and admitted something that he hated too, "Look, the Cullens are different than most bloodsuckers. They drink the blood of animals, that's why they have amber eyes. Vamps that drink human blood have glowing red eyes. You can always tell by the eyes what kind you're dealing with. Me, I can smell it. The red eyes smell like death, evil. It's putrid."

I shivered and he glanced and me, "Maybe you should find another job?"

I shook my head no. "I _need_ this job, Jacob, I don't know how to do anything else."

After the words left my mouth, I blushed. I can't believe I told him that, I never told anyone that. Edward knew, he apparently knew everything, but he always kept my secrets. He was good to me, they all were, would that change now that I knew what they were?

I tried to work out all the pieces that I had been given over the last day. Everything started to fall in to place. "So, because the Cullens drink... eat..." what the fuck, "animals, they get to live here?"

"Yeah, something like that. They've come and gone for a long time now and have held up their end of the treaty. Truth is, we seem to be the one breaking it all the time. Unknowingly, but still."

"Sam broke it, when he told me what the Cullens were, right?"

"Yes, and I broke it when I told Bella about it. I just thought it was a story. We were kids, she was asking questions and I had a crush. She put it together and she didn't care if Edward was a vampire, she loved him anyway."

"And he turned her?"

Jacob shook his head, "It's a lot more complex than that."

Sadness fell heavy on him and I knew he must have had a large hand in it. Now was not the time to question him.

He parked in the same spot as I had the day before and turned off the engine. The motor ticked a few times as it cooled. "I need a new car," I muttered, not knowing what else to say.

"I know a good mechanic."

I smiled, "Really? Does he work cheap, 'cause I'm busted."

His smile grew and he licked his lips, "I'm sure we could work something out."

My body burned and all thoughts of vampires faded. I'm sure that was his plan. The reprieve was all too short when he reached for the door and said, "You ready?"

My eyes locked on his. Was I ready? Not really, but I was sick of running. I liked Forks. I liked the Cullens and God help me I liked Jacob.

"Yeah, ready as I'll ever be."


End file.
